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Media reports of a new study are tarnishing sleep’s healthy image. The tabloid headlines scream, “Too MUCH sleep could KILL YOU.” But could sweet, gentle sleep really be a cold-blooded killer?

The British study involved nearly 10,000 adults who completed a health survey. Four years later they completed the survey again. They had an average age of 62 years, and their health outcomes were followed for an average of 9.5 years.
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A highway collision that left comedian Tracy Morgan in critical condition and killed his mentor is shedding light on the tragic consequences of drowsy driving. Drowsy driving causes more than 100,000 crashes and 1,550 deaths on American roads each year.

“Drowsy driving is a threat to personal health and public safety – it’s just as dangerous as drunk driving,” said Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
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A new study found that people who suffer from insomnia appear to have an increased risk of developing heart failure.

"We related heart failure risk to three major insomnia symptoms including trouble falling asleep, problems staying asleep, and not waking up feeling refreshed in the morning,” said Dr. Lars Laugsand, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Public Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. “In our study, we found that persons suffering from insomnia have increased risk of having heart failure. Those reporting suffering from all three insomnia symptoms simultaneously were at considerably higher risk than those who had no symptoms or only one or two symptoms."
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As more Americans come to grips with the serious nature of their sleep problems, the number of medical facilities treating sleep illness is on the rise. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine announced today that it has accredited its 2,500th sleep center, setting an all-time high.

“In general, far too many people accept sleep deprivation and sleepiness as a way of life,” said AASM President Sam Fleishman, MD. “They see treatment of sleep illnesses as optional, like elective surgery. Our goal is to change attitudes and make medical treatment available.”
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Researchers have identified the gene that helps determine the time of day a person is most likely to die. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) say this gene can also determine if you’re an early bird or night owl.

“Virtually all physiological processes have a circadian rhythm, meaning that they occur predominantly at certain parts of the day,” says the study’s co-author Dr. Clifford Saper. “There’s even a circadian rhythm of death, so that in the general population people tend on average to be most likely to die in the morning hours. Sometime around 11 a.m. is the average time.”
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Life expectancy hit an all-time high in 2009, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An American born in 2009 can now expect to live about 78 years and two months, a two month increase compared to 2008.
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The findings of a new study on sleep and mortality might make you think twice about sleeping in regularly. The long-term consequences might be dire; the study suggests people who sleep too much or too little sleep are at high risk for death.
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A new study provides strong evidence that severe obstructive sleep apnea increases your risk of death. The study involved a community sample of 6,441 people who were 40 years of age or older. Their sleep was evaluated with a portable-monitoring system during one night of home sleep testing. An apnea-hypopnea index was calculated for each person. The AHI represents the average number of times you stop breathing per hour of sleep.
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